Huntsville gazette., 1887-02-19
A ROYAL EXHIBIT.
The Royal Entertainment Of Per.
sian Ruler.
Gorgeous Furnishings or His House-Din-
ner for Four, Food for Fifty-A Re-
markable Experience, Enter
tainingly Described.

The first time I had the pleasure of
being entertained by a Persian Prince
was when dined with the Serrum-u-
Dowlet, the son of the Governor of the
province Of Kermanshah, who was the
Kings uncle. About five in the after
noon I arrived with a friend at the
Princes house. 1t was in the summer
time, and his Highness was sitting with
his brother in a large talar or archway
"a sort Of windowless room-the open
front Of which looked upon a large
haux OF tank, into and from which
clear water ran continuously. The
whole talar was built in the Arabian or
Saracenic style of the Alhambra, but
the decorations were far less chaste
and much more forid. There were
ife-sized, full length portraits of dane
ing girls in all possible and impossible
attitudes. Some were balancing knives
and goblets, others were in the various
postures Of the Eastern dance, while
one was depicted as standing on her
head. All these pictures were faithful
Ekenesses of court favorites made by
the court painters. The Persians, un-
like other Mohammedans, delight in
representations of female beauty, in
which their artists excek The recesses
in the walls were filled with chrome
Autographs of very dubious taste, let
in and glazed. There were old chande-
liers Of various colors, hanging from
the lofty arch, twenty pairs of carriage
lamps were stuck in staples on the
walls, and from each of these depended
. tiny cage, in which a nightingale was
singing, in emulation of his fellows, at
the full pitch of his voice. In the GEN.
ter Of the apartment, open to the air,
was basin five feet in diameter, Of the
alabaster like yellow-veined marble Of
Yezd; and in this basin single large
jet of water, the thickness of mans
arm, played furiously. The noise was
SO deafenng that we had to shout our
compliments to each other.
The fountain at length ceased to
play, no doubt to the great satisfac-
ton Of three unfortunate gardeners,
who were engaged in supplying it by
means of sort of oriental treadmill,
by which huge buckets of water were
drawn from a shallow well. Water
pipes (hubble-bubbles) were brought
and thrown round; and so hospitable
were the Princes that they insisted on
smoking the hubble-bubbles last, and
would not be denied. Tea, more pipes,
more tea, during which long gossip
took place on politics, the Queen, the
Shah, the Prince of Wales, and our
hosts horses, dogs, guns and various
and duly admired.
It was now sunset, and a military
band, some twenty strong, and all ap-
parently playing different tunes, pro-
duced a tohu-bohu truly diabolical.
Then wine was served. Trays of sweet
meats, each containing dozen Of
beautifully made bonbons and comfits,
all of snowy whiteness, were placed on
the ground on either side of each of
the party. The guests drank their
wine from glasses; the host used bowls
of silver of the size and shape of a
finger glass. Spirits in the form of ar
rack-the strong, coarse spirit of the
country-were offered us and declined.
Our hosts drank it like water
And now entered four lutis or buf-
foons. They sang, they danced and
they told short stories, to the intense
amusement of our hosts. Then, amidst
the rhythmic beating of drums and
tan1bourines, the clash of cymbals and
the sounds of the cornet, flute, harp,
viol, sackbut, and all kinds Of music,
came four pretty gypsy girls, half
dressed in the gayest colors and COW
cred with glittering jewelry. They
sailed into the room, each decorated
with her professional smile. Truth to
say, these girls were much painted,
but in Persia every lady paints on great
occasions. The eyebrows and eye
lashes had been much beautified. A
tiny Zeuave jacket of bright satin, en-
broidered with gold and seed pearls,
was al the clothing worn above the
waist. Their skirts reached to the
knee and were much bouffe, like those
of our opera dancers. Two OF the girls
wore their jetty tresses in innumerable
plaits; from the end of each plait hung
a little bell or silver coin The other
two allowed their magnificent chevel-
ures Of wavy black hair to hang IN a
cascade which fell far below their
waists As to their eyes, it is enough
to say that they were Persian eyes.
The age of the dancers varied from
thirteen wears to seventeen.
The dance had no variety. The four